Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Roundup of the April 26, 2006 "Lisa Tolliver Show" radio broadcast on WVOX AM 1460

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY - My announcement of "Black-chelor" Flavor Flav's decision to postpone today's interview until June (when he'll return from abroad and will promote his upcoming project) left a bad taste in some listeners' mouths. However, some who'd been biting at the bit in anticipation of Flav's "Lisa Tolliver Show" appearance (and others) reported that today's show served up more than fair compensation. Here's why: the featured guest was the legend, the icon, of tv and radio, the King of Memorabilia, the Knight of Nostagia (not to mention author, restauratur and A-list celebrity in his own right): Joe Franklin.

Featured Guest: Joe Franklin

Here's how SquareOne Publishers (who carry his books), introduce Joe on their Authors page:

Joe Franklin began his remarkable show biz career as a New York talk-and-variety show host in 1951. His show's format set the standard for many other shows of this type that followed. His guest list reads like a who's who of celeb royalty: Rudy Vallee, George Jessel, Otto Preminger, Ronald Reagan, Barbra Streisand, Joan Rivers, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby, the Jackson Five--and that's just for starters. Joe holds the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the most TV shows--31,015 in all. Although Joe's TV show ended in 1988, currently, he can be heard nationally on Bloomberg Radio as a regular commentator. In addition, Joe Franklin's Memory Lane theme restaurant, located in the Broadway district of Manhattan, has opened to rave reviews.

During the interview, this charming, humorous, larger-than-life pal of today's "Lisa Tolliver Show" co-host Ray Aydelott and of our sponsor, Whitney Radio owner Bill O'Shaughnessy, demonstrated the wit, humor and graciousness that has captivated audiences for the past five-plus decades. During that time, he has logged a Guinness World Record for hosting over 31,000 talk shows and over half a million guests and is archived at TalkingHistory.org. Joe also recently published his 24th book, Joe Franklin's Great Entertainment Trivia Game: A Buzztime Trivia Series Book, and is hosting Friday and Saturday night comedy shows at TGI Friday's on West 50th Street in Manhattan. It's become traditional for younger talk show hosts, such as Joe's pal Conan O'Brien, to book Joe as a guest for their inaugural broadcasts, as well as invite him back for recurring appearances. Joe shared this secret: numerous talk show hosts have come and gone but the ones with longevity are sincere. "Once you learn to fake that," he quipped, you'll be ok.

There's so much I can learn from this legend and I really like him. Ray and I will accept his offer to visit Memory Lane Restaurant, where he'll buy us a glass of water. Moreover, it will be fun to check out Joe's memorabilia and mingle with his celebrity patrons. We'll stop by on our way to cover the Tribeca Film Festival. For more information about Joe Franklin, please visit www.JoeFranklin.com.

The King Charles Unicyle Troupe will perform at the TriBeCa Film Festival on Saturday:

Following Ray's and my interview with Joe, I stood in for scheduled guest David Reid, who played hooky from today's show to prepare for his performance this Saturday, May 6 at 4 p.m. with the King Charles Unicyle Troupe at the TriBeCa Film Festival-Family Festival annual Street Fair on the North Stage. [NOTE: check the Street Fair schedule on the day of, as it is subject to change.]

WEVR-MRC Emergency Preparedness Tip #4:
Westchester Emergency Volunteer Corps-Medical Reserve Corps (WEVR-MRC) representative Marianne Partridge shared WEVR-MRC Emergency Preparedness Tip #4: SAFELY HANDLING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. It can mean the difference between life and death during a disaster or emergency. Click here to read it.###